Bag sealers have become increasingly popular in recent years for use in the household. Generally the bag sealers are adapted to be either stored and used on a kitchen countertop or mounted on a vertical wall. Regardless of the position of the bag sealer it is necessary for the user to support the filled bag for sealing and to bring the sealing means into contact with the two sides of the bag to effect a seal. It is usually recommended that the ends of the bag be maintained taut in order to obtain a proper seal. Thus the user is often faced with the dilemma of needing three hands, two to properly support the bag, particularly when it is filled with liquids, and a third hand to bring the heat sealing means into contact with the bag.
In the prior art there have been attempts to facilitate holding the bag by means of posts or pins like those shown in Bair U.S. Pat. No. 3,731,054 which cooperate with holes in the bag to support the bag. Another approach involves motor activated means such as those shown in Techtmann et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,375,777 for mechanically bringing the heat sealing means into contact with the bag. The bag supporting pins provide a viable solution although mishaps, such as the bag tearing loose from the pins, can occur. The motor operated means for bringing the heat sealing element into pressure contact with the bag are slow and can cause problems particularly with respect to a bag full of stew or other liquid containing materials. Both of the aforementioned solutions also have a disadvantage of significantly increasing the cost of the sealer itself, the bags, or both the sealer and the bags.